What do you do if you smell alcohol on a worker? Besides the smell being potentially unpleasant, there are worrying statistics that show how common the problem actually is. A recent survey has found that 85 % of 2,600 people surveyed have been drunk in the workplace in the last year. 31% of them admitted to being drunk at work, or being unable to work as well due to alcohol, at least once a week. These figures also showed that employees working in public facing jobs were more likely to stay sober. The Statistics are quite Frightening There are 31,767,000 workers in the UK. Based on that 31% sample. This means that 9.8 million of the British workforce in any one week is drunk at work or has impaired capacity to work. That’s a massive 1 in 4 British businesses that have, on average, at least one worker per week at work who is drunk. Or incapable of carrying out their job properly because of alcohol. According to the institute of Alcohol Studies, office professionals are far more likely to drink alcohol during the working week. They are also prone to drinking at work and it is estimated that £7.3 billion is lost each year in business productivity due […]

Smelly workers – how many are actually in the workplace? And How do you let a smelly worker know without hurting their feelings? The statistics from the research by the University of Bristol into body odour helps us work out that 0.5% of the working population of the UK smell. That’s 109 500 UK employees who should use deodorants but don’t! The study also tells us that a lucky 1 in 50 people have a gene that means they don’t produce body odour at all. The fact that they’ve got dry ear wax is an indication that they carry this gene! Now there’s something to think about asking on your application forms! 1 in every 200 British employees has a body odour problem which means that 6% of UK employers are likely to have smelly workers. That’s 1 in every 17 workplaces! It’s a problem nobody likes talking about. Even fewer like working with smelly workers, but it’s a problem that employers need to address tactfully. Rather than leave it to their less tactful employees. A survey by Australian Recruitment Employment Office found that 75% of people found it difficult to work alongside someone with bad body odour. What causes smelly workers […]

How many workers smell in the UK? The stats from the research by the University of Bristol into body odour helps us. 0.5% of the working population in the UK smell. That’s 109 500 UK employees should use deodorants, but don’t! The study also tells us that a lucky 1 in 50 people have a gene that means they don’t produce body odour at all. The fact that they’ve got dry ear wax is an indication that they carry this gene! Now there’s something to think about asking on your application forms! 1 in every 200 British employees has a body odour problem which means that 6% of UK employers are likely to have an employee who smells. That’s 1 in every 17 workplaces! It’s a problem nobody likes talking about, and even fewer like working with, but it’s a problem that employers need to address tactfully rather than leave it to their less tactful employees. A survey by Australian Recruitment Employment Office found that 75% of people find it difficult to work alongside someone with bad body odour. What causes workers to smell? There’s the obvious things Not washing/showering often enough. A survey by Laterooms.com polled 2 000 adults found that on […]

How to tell someone they smell How to tell someone they smell is probably the job dreaded most by managers, even more so than telling people that they are redundant. Body odour or bad breath is a sensitive subject, challenging to address. It’s just as challenging for those individuals that have to work with the employee who smells. A survey by the Australian Recruitment Employment Office found that 75% of people find it difficult to work alongside someone with bad body odour, and 64% struggle to work with someone with bad breath. Remember you do need to be sensitive to the different cooking and eating traditions of different cultures which can affect body odour and the impact of fasting which can cause bad breath. An employer telling someone they smell is far less likely to back fire than leaving it to work colleagues who may be less tactful about how they deliver the message. For example, the man who took his colleague into a side room and told him that there were two people in the room, one smelled and it “isn’t me”! Or there were the colleagues who filled an employee’s locker with bottles of anti-perspirant. This approach can easily escalate into allegations […]

Can you sack someone for smelling? The short answer is yes you can sack someone for smelling. However, there are some sensible precautions you can take as an employer to avoid looking unreasonable. Talk to your employee. Tell them directly what the problem is and what the impact of their body odour is. As you perceive it, on the team, on clients or some other business issue. Make sure they understand what you are talking about. Sometimes our embarrassment can mean we avoid being specific about issues we find difficult to address. Establish if the employee has any underlying medical condition which may mean you need to make reasonable adjustments. For instance, Hyperhidrosis is a condition typified by heavy sweating. Fish Odour Syndrome (Trimethylaminuria) is a genetic condition that makes the individual’s sweat smell like fish. Set out your expectations Set a review date Talk to the employee at least once more before commencing formal proceedings against the individual. If the employee’s odour doesn’t improve, stick to your disciplinary procedure and take the matter through formal process. Each time consider the appropriateness of a more severe penalty, the explanation given by the employee, and the impact on the business. Each […]